Jake's Journey
by SleepyGoron
Summary: Hailing from Viridian City, follow young rookie Trainer Jake Masterson's journey to become a master Trainer and see the world, while making friends, rivals and getting caught in the schemes of a dangerous and powerful evil team along the way. (ARC 1: KANTO IN PROGRESS NOW!)
1. Chapter 1: A Journey's Beginning

**CHAPTER 1: A JOURNEY'S BEGINNING**

"Jake!"

Twelve-year-old Jake Masterson grunted, the only acknowledgement he could muster as of right then to his mother who was calling him from outside his Pokémon-memorabilia filled room.

"JAKE!"

His mom yelled his name louder and rapped impatiently on the door.

"Y…Yuh?" the young man with a mop of brown curls and tired-looking green eyes mumbled as he tried to resist the temptation of rolling over and going back to sleep.

"Don't you remember what _day _it is?!"

"AAAAH! I almost forgot!"

This sent Jake up like a shot. He rushed to begin changing from pyjamas to the new outfit his mother had set out for him the night before, the outfit that he would wear on this momentous day. It was green, just like the trees in the Viridian Forest near his home city- The green jacket marked him as a new Pokémon Trainer of Viridian City. He also had new blue jeans and a set of running shoes, along with a green and white satchel that his mom had also bought for him. He beamed to himself as he looked at himself in the mirror after changing.

"Today's the day!" he muttered to himself excitedly as he opened the door and sprinted downstairs to his mom.

"You're running late!" Patty Masterson said sternly to her son. She was a plump woman with a round, ever-smiling face, and had raised her son alone, with an exceeding amount of patience and love for Jake.

"I'll just… Skip breakfast…" Jake said as he tried to wrestle himself free from his mother trying to attack his unruly hair with a brush.

"Yeah, that's probably best," Patty said, and before Jake knew it there were tears in her eyes, "I… I just can't believe my baby is finally setting off! You've… Always dreamed of this!"

"I wouldn't have gotten here without you, Mom," Jake hugged her tightly, "You're the one who contacted Professor Oak for me…"

"Samuel and I go way back," Patty said, "It wasn't a problem!"

"Really, Mom, thanks for everything,"

"Go, now. You better hurry if you want to get to Pallet Town on time!"

And so Jake, with one final look and wave of goodbye to his mother who frantically wished him luck and reminded him to stop by on his way back through Viridian so as she could see his new Pokémon, set off in a rush to Pallet Town- where he would meet Professor Oak and receive his first Pokémon!

"Am I… Late?"

Professor Samuel Oak, noted authority on Pokémon, an ageing man wearing a tan suit, turned to see the young man with the unruly curls. He'd been told about Jake Masterson, and when he saw the young man Professor Oak could immediately see the potential. He had the fire in those green eyes that so many great Pokémon Trainers he'd met had also had.

"Not at all, Jake, only one of the other Pokémon has been taken."

"Which… Which one was it?"

"It was the Bulbasaur," Professor Oak gave him an investigatory look, and when he saw Jake's face fall for a brief second, he knew that Jake had been planning on picking Bulbasaur.

"We still have Charmander and Squirtle here, though. Either of them would make an excellent partner, Jake!"

"That's true, Professor. You can probably tell I wanted Bulbasaur, considering I've lived near a forest my whole life and have an affinity with Grass types, but you can't win 'em all!"

"Very true, Jake, and very admirable for you to be so accepting."

"Thanks, Professor, and it's very nice to meet you at last."

"Likewise, my boy. Now, what say we introduce you to the Pokémon?"

"Yeah, that'd be grea-"

"HOLD UP!"

A panting voice had yelled as the door had burst open and a hasty-looking guy came bursting in. Jake thought that he must've been around his age, or maybe a few months to a year older. He had deep brown eyes, and spiky black hair. He wore a red and black jacket, black jeans and a pair of black combat boots.

"Ah, you must be Max," Professor Oak smiled and nodded in greeting, "Not to worry, there are still…"

"Has Charmander been taken?" Max approached Jake and Professor Oak.

"Not at all, but…"

"But what?" Jake was starting to dislike the way Max spoke, especially to someone who was much more versed in Pokémon and in life than a boy his age would have been.

"But Jake was here first, so I thought that perhaps if he wanted the Charmander, he should get first pick."

Max turned to Jake and Jake was uneasy to see that the taller boy was glaring at him.

"Y… You can have the Charmander," Jake said immediately. He had kind of wanted Charmander as his second choice but he'd already been too late for the one Pokémon he really wanted, so he was feeling quite down and at this point he didn't really care which Pokémon he got.

"Damn right I can," Max said under his breath so that Professor Oak wouldn't hear.

"So, Jake Masterson and Max Rowan, are you both ready to meet your new Pokémon?"

"Yes!" both young boys said determinedly, not taking an eye off the two Poké Balls in the old man's hands as he threw them into the air and from the capsules came an orange bipedal lizard with a flame on its tail and a blue bipedal turtle with an orange shell and yellow underbelly.

"Squirt squirt!"

"Char!"

Jake grinned down at Squirtle, and the little Pokémon returned the look of joy and affection immediately, and went to leap up into his arms, but bumped into Charmander. Charmander didn't take well to this and began scratching at Squirtle's body with its claws. Squirtle cried out in pain.

"Ahhh!" Jake yelled, "They're fighting!"

"Your Squirtle needs to be less clumsy!" Max seemed bemused by the fight betweem the two tough little creatures, but Professor Oak handed the two boys the Poké Balls.

"Call them back, quickly!"

"Come on, Prof, let them have some fun!" Max laughed cruelly.

"Untrained Pokémon fights are dangerous and can get seriously out of hand, Max," Professor Oak said, "I'd have thought you'd know that considering who your grandfather is…"

Max was silent and looked incredibly intense and angry for a moment. Then he just called his Charmander back to its ball, and redirected his attention to Jake.

"You taking the Gym Challenge?" He asked coldly.

"I-I plan on it, yeah," Jake hated how timid he felt around this intense young man, but he couldn't help it. What Professor Oak had mentioned about his heritage made Jake put two and two together. Max Rowan had to be the grandson of Professor Rowan, an expert on Pokémon evolution from the Sinnoh Region.

"Me too," Max said approvingly, "Looks like we'll be rivals, then. I'll have fun crushing you, and that's if you even make it to the League."

Jake shook with anger that he didn't even know he was capable of. This uppity guy thought that just because his grandfather was famous, he was going to beat Jake at the very thing he had always dreamed of. He'd always thought that if he won a Pokémon League or two and made a name for himself, his father, who had left Jake and his mother a long time ago to pursue Pokémon Training full-time himself, would notice him and commend him in some way.

"How…" Jake started, trembling with emotion and all the while embarrassed that Professor Oak had to see this, "How about we have a battle right now, outside the Lab, so we can really prove which of us is going to crush the other?"

Max laughed, "Seems like you aren't one to just take things lying down. You might have more spine than I thought. You're on!"

_Oh dear, _Professor Oak thought to himself, _These two seem even more hotheaded than Red and Blue…_

* * *

**A/N: Hi. Been a long time since I posted anything on FanFiction. This is Jake's Journey, a Pokémon Journey-style story inspired by many other of its ilk (Star Crossed Colt as well as Talarc's Pokémon Journey series to name a few). What's different about this story is that it's going to have some original things within it as we progress (i.e. not a simple retelling of the games/manga or simply a gym battle and Pokémon League story) I have written quite a bit ahead as of posting this, and I plan to write a bit more before posting more. Any feedback is truly appreciated and I hope you enjoy the series.**


	2. Chapter 2: Jake VS Max, Round 1

**CHAPTER 2: JAKE VS MAX, FIRST ROUND**

_Jake's Team: Squirtle (No Nickname)_

_Max's Team: Charmander (No Nickname)_

Professor Oak led the two tenacious young Trainers whom he'd just entrusted with a Pokémon each outside to the makeshift arena that he'd installed for situations just like this.

Jake trailed behind Professor Oak and Max, looking at his Squirtle's Poké Ball.

"I hope we'll make a great team, Squirtle…" he muttered, and when they reached the makeshift arena, he took the side that Max hadn't, and got ready for the battle. He was shaking with nerves, this being his first battle, after all. He'd dreamed about this moment for years, and he was determined to perform well.

"The battle between Jake of Viridian City and Max of Sandgem Town is about to begin!" Professor Oak called out, in the same way Jake had heard Pokémon League referees announce when he'd watched reruns of old League matches and famous Gym Battles from all different regions. That made the whole thing feel far more real to Jake. He wasn't dreaming this time- He was living his dreams.

"Each Trainer will use one Pokémon," he looked at Max, "Preferably the Starter Pokémon you just received, as I would much like to see their prowess!"

Jake looked at Max. He had more than just the Charmander he'd received? Jake wondered what kind of Pokémon the boy had.

"Charmander, go!" Max threw out his Poké Ball and out came his new flame-tailed lizard companion, looking more than eager to finish what he'd started earlier with Squirtle.

_We have the type advantage… I can do this… _Jake thought to himself.

"Come on out, Squirtle!" he called, and released his blue turtle into battle, who turned to him and gave him a confident look. Squirtle then turned back to Charmander, and the battle was underway.

"Charmander, Scratch!" Max commanded, and Charmander sped towards Squirtle and tried to rake at it with its claws.

"Withdraw, Squirtle!" Jake called and Squirtle's body retreated into the shell, causing Charmander to hurt its own claws as the shell had hardened.

"Excellent strategy," Professor Oak commended, eyes twinkling knowingly when he looked at Jake.

"Ember!" Max roared, and Charmander spat out a small jet of flame that nonetheless caused Squirtle to lose concentration and break its guard, its head and limbs protruding from its shell again. Squirtle cried out in pain.

"Squirtle, what's wrong?"

"Ember has a chance to burn its target," Max said condescendingly, "Seriously, don't you know about status conditions?"

"Aw no!" Jake cried, unsure of what to do. Despite Max's remarks, he did know about status conditions. The burn condition meant that a Pokémon's attack power was lowered, so Squirtle would from now on be doing less damage to Charmander, who had in turn managed to damage Squirtle a fair bit despite its Ember not being very effective.

_Think, Jake. Think, or this battle is lost…_

"W…Water Gun!" He called desperately, and the now increasingly tired little turtle gave it his all and shot out a spray of water that sent Charmander falling back to its own side of the arena near its Trainer and crying out in pain.

"Come on, Charmander…" Max looked like he was truly in the zone, "That attack only made you stronger! Finish it with another Ember!"

Charmander mustered up the strength to continue and another, bigger Ember jetted towards Squirtle, who was too slow to Withdraw this time and thus took the magnified damage along with the damage from its burn, causing the young turtle creature to fall to the ground, defeated.

Jake hung his head in shame, then pulled himself together enough to run over to Squirtle, cradling it in his arms.

"You okay, Squirtle?"

The turtle responded by feebly saying its name.

"I'm sorry, Squirtle. I'm not turning out to be a very good Trainer, am I?"

Squirtle didn't agree, it seemed, as it hugged Jake's arm affectionately, a gesture Jake didn't feel he deserved after having lost the battle that badly.

"Thanks for not hating me, Squirtle…" Jake felt proud of the effort his Pokémon had made, and was glad that he'd ended up having Squirtle. The little Pokémon seemed gutsy and determined.

"Well fought, Jake and Squirtle."

Professor Oak beamed at the young boy from Viridian.

"But… I lost… I lost my first ever Pokémon battle…"

"Only by luck," Oak assured him, "Squirtle had the odds stacked against him. First the burn, and then with Charmander's Blaze kicking in…"

Then Jake realised that Oak was right. That final Ember had only been so strong because of Charmander's special ability, Blaze, that powered up fire-type attacks when the user was in a tight spot.

"But… Isn't it rare for that ability to kick in?"

"Yes, which proves that Max really did win by sheer dumb luck. He couldn't have known that Charmander seems to be a natural at using its Blaze, and I doubt he knew that's the reason he won…"

"What are you two whispering about? Are you giving him special tips, old man?"

"N-No, nothing like that?" Oak assured Max hurriedly, giving Jake a cunning wink.

"Good battle." Jake said, stretching his hand out for Max to shake.

To his surprise, Max took it. "You didn't put up the _worst _of fights…"

"Next time won't be like this," Jake grinned determinedly.

"Is that so?" Max said sarcastically, "I guess we'll just have to see…"

"We will," Jake said, "Professor, thanks for everything. I'm going to set off, and…"

"Not so fast!" Professor Oak said, holding a hand up to stop Jake, "I have something quite special to give you both, something a colleague of mine worked hard on…"

Professor Oak had taken the two boys back into his Lab, and given them an impromptu tour of the place and allowed them to see some of the Pokémon outside in his acres of land that Trainers had entrusted to him to look after. It was now time for the great reveal of this supposedly special item that Jake and Max were to use on their journeys.

"Take one of these, boys," Professor Oak said, and handed them two large, oddly shaped devices with blank screens. One was green and white, for Jake, and the other was red and black, for Max.

"An out-of-charge Pokédex that's shaped funny? Gee, thanks…" Max said sarcastically.

Professor Oak waggled a finger, "No, Max, that's not all that's at play here." He took two Poké Balls from the pockets of his suit jacket, "Come on out!"

Two identical Pokémon came out of the balls and started zipping about energetically. They were grinning orange ghostlike creatures, and both of them shot straight into their respective Pokédex.

"I've heard of these!" Jake looked astounded, "Professor, you really…?"

"Yes he did, zrrrt!" a new voice, robotic and high pitched, exclaimed, "Prezzzenting to you both…"

"…The Rotom Pokédexxxxxxezzzzz, now specified for the Kanto Region!" the second one continued, from Max's Pokédex.

"Specified for Kanto…" Max repeated, stunned.

"Yes, Max. The man who created the first Rotom Dex, Professor Kukui of Alola, had an extreme liking of the Kanto Region, even taking part in the League here one year, and so he and I decided to work together on a new Rotom Dex especially for Kanto Trainers, one of only three in existence!"

"That… That's awesome!" Jake said, "Professor, thank you so much!"

"It's my pleasure, boys," Professor Oak grinned, "To repay me, all you have to do is travel the Region, see and catch Pokémon, make memories and become great Trainers!"

"No worries, Prof, I was gonna do that anyway," Max smiled coolly as he turned to leave, his new Rotom Dex and Charmander in tow.

"Best of luck," Professor Oak said, "As you probably know, the first Gym is in…"

"…Pewter City, yeah." Max said, already almost out the door.

"Best of luck, Jake, truly," Professor Oak said fondly to his newest protégé, "I know you'll become an amazing Trainer if today was any showing of your skills."

"Thanks, Professor," Jake felt reassured. He and Squirtle may have lost their first battle, but they still had a lot more chances to make up for it along their journey…

Professor Oak reminisced as he looked at a photo of three young people, two boys and a girl. One was his grandson Blue, the others were Red and Green, the other two Pokédex Holders he had went on a journey with.

_And so, a new guard emerges and a new era begins…_

* * *

**A/N: This was Chapter 2 featuring the first clash of rivals. I hope you enjoyed it, and be sure to leave some feedback if you did including suggestions of Pokémon you'd like to see on characters' teams. From the next Chapter on is where I think the story starts to become its own thing and Jake starts to feel less like a Gary Stu!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Firestarter of Viridian

**CHAPTER 3: THE FIRESTARTER OF VIRIDIAN FOREST**

_Jake's Team: Squirtle (No Nickname)_

_Max's Team: Charmander (No Nickname), ? (Nickname Unknown)_

As Jake trudged along the path towards Viridian Forest from his hometown of Viridian City after stopping off to let his mom meet Tank (he'd decided to call his Squirtle Tank, because of how strong and hardy its Withdraw attack was and how much guts the little guy had), he found himself again wondering the same thing he'd been musing over since Pallet Town- What other Pokémon had Max brought to Kanto with him?

Jake deduced that Max was from Sinnoh, given that he was Professor Rowan's grandson and Professor Oak had said he was from Sandgem Town like his grandfather. Maybe Max also had a Pokémon from his native region along for his Kanto journey…

Jake tried to stop this incessant speculation in his head from distracting himself from his true mission, to try and catch a second Pokémon as well so that he and Max would be presumably equal in the amount of Pokémon they had on their teams in time for their next battle.

_I need to catch a Grass Type so as I can really bring out its potential, _thought Jake. His mother always had many of her Grass Types around their house in Viridian City, and Jake had grown up alongside this type of Pokémon. He pictured himself using a powerful Roserade or Breloom in battle against Max and trouncing whatever mystery Pokémon his rival had up his sleeve. It was a shame that this was Kanto, and he wouldn't be able to find many of his favourite Grass Type Pokémon here, but he would still be content with a Vileplume or a Victreebel to use on his team.

His continuous fantasizing meant that he had walked to the gate to Viridian Forest without even realising it. He was surprised that he hadn't run into any Trainers yet to challenge to a battle, but knew there would be plenty of Trainers lying in wait at the Forest.

"Ready, Tank?" He'd let Squirtle out of its Poké Ball to walk alongside him, and Tank seemed to enjoy the experience. Tank yelled its name out in agreement, its eyes telling Jake that Tank wanted to get into some battles and redeem itself for its loss against Charmander.

Together, boy and Pokémon entered the sprawling Viridian Forest, and immediately could hear the cacophony of Bug Types' cries.

"I hear Weedle, and Beedrill, and…."

"Zzzzzt, Butterfree!" Rotom added, the Dex coming to life and floating above Jake, scanning the surroundings for him to try and pick up anything he might not have noticed.

"I can also hear Pikachu, and Pidgeotto, and… Zzzzzzt! I hear… Pokémon in… Zzzzzt… Anguish!"

"Anguish?!" Jake said disbelievingly.

"Yezzzz!" Rotom said hurriedly, "I think there might be zzzzomething going on deeper in the woodzzzz!"

Jake had heard of dangerous criminal cells such as Team Rocket, Plasma or Galactic, but knew that Kanto was a relatively safe region now that Team Rocket had been dealt with. He dismissed Rotom's warning as probably just a wild Pokémon battle, and decided to set out to methodically explore every inch of the Forest he knew so well in search of a new Pokémon for his team.

He did so for about twenty minutes, looking in bushes, in denser parts of the Forest, and everywhere in between. Sure, there was a lot of selection, but none of these Pokémon really spoke to him the way Tank had immediately letting him know that it was destiny that they were a team.

"Only Bug types so far…" Jake grumbled. He hated Bug Types… "Maybe I'm better off just sticking with you for now, Tank…"

"Squirt, Squirtle!"

"I know you could use a Poké-friend," Jake grinned at his little buddy, "And I promise we'll find you a cool bunch of allies…"

"Hey, Trainer!"

Jake turned to see a white T-shirt and shorts-clad kid with a bug net coming towards him, a Bug Catcher. Jake knew that he wasn't there to challenge him to a friendly Pokémon Battle, because the boy was sweaty and looked very worried.

"What's up?" Jake looked concerned, and so did Tank. Tank approached the Bug Catcher's Paras and they began communicating which to Jake sounded like Tank and the little mushroom-topped bug saying their names to one another over and over. Paras seemed to be very excitable and clicked its pincers often.

"Th-There's a fire ahead!" the boy said frantically, "You have a Water Type, so please come and help out!"

Jake was shocked to hear there was a fire spreading in the Forest, and was worried about the place he had explored alongside his mom's Pokémon back when he was a kid. If this place was in danger, then so were all the happy memories he'd made there…

"Let's go, Tank!" Jake said to his Squirtle, and gave the Bug Catcher a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, the Forest is safe as long as we're here!"

_Big talk, Jake… _He thought to himself, _You don't even know the cause of the fire…_

The cause became clear enough to him as soon as he reached the place where the fire had started to brew. Three Pokémon not usually seen in the Viridian Forest and in some cases Kanto as a whole were using Fire Type attacks to cause mayhem and send the Pokémon of the Forest retreating for safety.

"Growlithe, Quilava and Magby," Jake recognised all three, "But… What are they wearing?"

The Pokémon had plain purple masks on their faces but their mouths were free so they could still blast out Ember and Flamethrower attacks.

_Those masks… Weird… Does that mean someone owns these Pokémon?_

"Go, Tank! Put out the fire!"

Tank set to work using his Water Gun to douse the flames as best he could.

"Watch out, Tank!"

Tank had to avoid a Bite from the fire puppy, Growlithe, and retaliated with a Bite of his own on Jake's command. When the Quilava started to get involved in the tussle as well, Jake decided that he and Tank would have to dispatch the muzzled firestarters before they could fully stop the fire. Jake then noticed that the Magby was standing still looking incredibly strained, as if trying to force itself not to attack Tank…

_I get it! _Jake had an epiphany, but not one that he was happy to have. These Pokémon seemed to be being controlled by the masks they were wearing, or so Jake deduced.

"Tank, get their masks off! Tackle attack!"

Tank slammed into the Growlithe's face, breaking its mask with the force of the tough little turtle. The puppy seemed to be in a daze, looking around at the destruction it and its companions had just caused. The Growlithe then helped Tank by using its own Tackle on the much more powerful Quilava to help Tank overpower it and use a Water Gun to break the sturdier-looking mask on the second stage Pokémon, which then came to its senses in a similar way.

"Good job, Tank! Now, douse the last of this fire!"

While Tank did that and the Growlithe and Quilava started to wander off, Jake went over to the Magby, still shaking and trying to fight against the mysterious control the mask had over it. Jake had to give it to the little fire duck, he'd resisted the mask more than even the evolved Pokémon Quilava had. He bent down and looked at the Magby, whose eyes were confused under the mask.

"Hey, little buddy," He said, "Thanks for not attacking us. Let's get you out of this thing."

Jake pulled on the mask and managed to break it with relative ease. The Magby's eyes remained dull for a moment, but it came to its senses and looked at Jake, starting to cry.

"What's wrong?" Jake said, then he realised. "You blame yourself for what happened?"

The Magby nodded. Tank, who was done with dousing the flames, came over to the little Magby and gave it a reassuring pat on the back. Magby appreciated the gesture, expressing this with a little cry of thanks. The Bug Catcher's Paras came over as well, and seemed to be in awe of Tank and the Magby, but very friendly too, congratulating them enthusiastically and clicking its pincers frantically.

"You were under someone's control, so it was their will to try and burn down the forest, not yours and those other Pokémon's," Jake then looked at Tank, having an idea. "Hey, buddy, do you think we've found ourselves a new friend?"

Tank gave Jake a smile as if he understood perfectly what Jake was saying, and then communicated this to the Magby. The Magby looked overjoyed and started crying again, jumping into Jake's arms for a hug from its new Trainer.

"I don't usually want Fire Types," Jake smiled at Magby, "But you had the strength to resist that mask thing, so I admire that! You seem like you'd be a great partner in a Gym Battle!"

"Mag mag!" Magby agreed happily, Jake knowing that he'd made the right choice.

"Nice, you got a Magby! And you saved the Forest!"

Jake turned to see the same Bug Catcher who'd enlisted his help earlier.

"Yeah, I guess I did…" Jake couldn't believe that such an incident had arisen and that he had managed to remain calm in the face of the fire. He'd known that as long as he had Tank with him, he'd be fine.

"You're a hero!" the Bug Catcher seemed to really believe this.

"Relax, dude, I just stopped a forest fire. Tank here did all the work. You can thank little Magby here for fighting back against whatever was controlling her, or else the fire could've been way worse…"

"You're right. That's one cool Pokémon! Thanks, Magby!"

Magby looked a little shy to be receiving all this attention, so Jake decided to change the subject.

"Good thing I bought some Poké Balls before leaving Viridian City…" He said, rummaging in his backpack and pulling one out.

"Here you go, Magby. Get in the Ball, and you'll never have to worry about being taken control of like that again!"

Magby jumped up and down happily before touching the Ball that Jake had set down in front of her, signifying the little Pokémon's trust in Jake. She was absorbed into the capsule like device immediately.

The ball shook three times, then made a clicking noise to alert Jake that the capture was complete.

"Nice!" Jake said, "I think I'll call her Mags!"

"Pretty obvious name, don't you think?" The Bug Catcher grinned.

"Yeah, maybe, but I'm new to this," Jake laughed, "What's your name, anyway?"

"Kieran, and you?"

"Jake."

"Are you just passing through?"

"Yeah, I'm from Viridian and I'm setting off to Pewter to challenge my first Gym Leader…"

"Brock, huh?" Kieran said, "I've heard he's a rock solid Trainer!"

"Now who's being obvious?" Jake laughed, "I don't think I've ever not heard someone make a rock pun when talking about him!"

Kieran laughed at this as well, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Say, why don't we travel together through the rest of the forest? I'm heading to Pewter next myself!"

"Sounds like a plan, Kieran, it'll be great to have company on the road!"

And so, the two Pokémon loving boys set off towards Pewter City and Jake's first ever Gym Battle, while the question lingered in Jake's mind of who could possibly have engineered those Pokémon masks, and what trouble they could be getting up to elsewhere in the region…

* * *

**A/N: A new team member, a mystery to be solved, and the promise of a Gym Battle next. This is where the story really starts to kick off, and I'm glad we're now there in terms of uploads. The plan here is to post a chapter when I'm 5 chapters ahead of that chapter, so this one is posted now that I've done Chapter 8, and 4 will be up when I'm done 9, just so as I'm on top of things. Bear in mind the Chapters have started to get far longer from here, as the first 3 chapters equate to the first 9 pages of the word document and now I'm on Page 50. We still have so much to get through. I hope you're all enjoying so far, and thanks to everyone reviewing and following!**


	4. Chapter 4: Jake VS Brock

**CHAPTER 4: JAKE VS BROCK**

_Jake's Team: Tank (Squirtle), Mags (Magby)_

"Best of luck- You'll need it, he's a pretty tough Trainer!"

"Don't worry, Kieran. With my two awesome Pokémon by my side, I'll be able to do anything!"

The two boys, Jake and Kieran, were parting ways after making it to the bustling city of Pewter, which lay just beside Mt. Moon, a mysterious mountain area where it was said that a powerful stone with the ability to make certain Pokémon evolve could be found, along with Pokémon fossils galore and even a meteorite. Jake was more focused on his upcoming Gym Battle than any old stone or history. Kieran, however, was headed for the Pewter Museum. They parted ways and Jake decided it was time to head towards Brock's Gym.

Brock was famous to Jake, who had watched videos of his battles and done extensive research on both Brock as well as most other Gym Leaders in the Kanto Region as well as some others that he was particularly in awe of. Even so, this was Jake's first-ever Gym Battle, so he was nervous- Probably more nervous than he had been before his first battle with Max.

"We can do this," Jake told himself, "Me, Tank and Mags have got this."

He set off towards the orange and white decorated building with the Pokémon Gym sign outside, and just as he was about to enter, Max came swaggering out with a big smile on his face and his Charmander walking alongside him looking equally triumphant.

"You!" Max said, smirking, "I guess by that determined look that you haven't taken Brock on yet?"

"No," Jake admitted, "But this'll only take five minutes for me!"

"Yeah, right," Max laughed mockingly, "Brock's a tougher Trainer than you think, squirt! Of course, he was a pushover for us…"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, it's so! I'd stay and watch, but I wouldn't wanna embarrass you, so… Later, loser!"

Max and Charmander headed off towards the exit of Pewter City, and Jake thanked Arceus that they weren't staying to watch and make fun of him during his first Gym Battle. He was already nervous enough… He tried to shrug off the encounter with Max, and entered the Gym.

It was, as you'd expect from a Rock Type Gym… rocky.

There were Trainers battling each other for practise, all with Rock Pokémon. These must have been Brock's pupils.

"Where's Brock?" Jake called out weakly.

No one answered.

"Geodude, Tackle attack!"

"Cranidos, Headbutt!"

"Where's Brock?!" Jake called out again, with a bit more force than the first time.

"Oh, hey!"

The voice who replied was a man in a suit and sunglasses, with a neatly trimmed beard and short black hair.

"Y… You're not Brock…" Jake knew this was obvious but couldn't stop himself from stating this stupid-sounding point.

"Yeah, champ to be, name's William."

"Um, hi. I'm Jake."

"Nice to meet you, kid. Anyway, Brock's just in the backroom healing his Pokémon. He had a pretty tough match there…"

"Yeah, that was my rival who beat him…"

"Let me guess, you plan on doing the same?"

Jake's confidence returned, "Would I be here if I didn't?"

William grinned, "That's what I like to hear! Look, there he is…"

Brock emerged from a door at the far right side of the room and took his place standing at the centre of the back wall, awaiting his next challenge.

"Brock here has rock-hard offence and defence, he uses…"

"Rock Types, yeah. Water or Grass, huh?"

"Yeah!" William grinned again, "Looks like I won't have to teach you anything."

"Well, I don't have a Grass Type yet, so…" he took out Tank's Poké Ball, "Looks like I'll be leading with you, Tank…"

He thanked William and headed towards Brock. When the slit-eyed Gym Leader saw him, he smiled.

"Another challenger so soon, huh?" Brock said, "My work's cut out for me today. I'm Brock, challenger."

"Nice to meet you," Jake grinned, "I'm Jake, from Viridian City."

"Viridian, huh? So you're local. My last challenger, that kid with the Gligar, was from Sinnoh…"

"Yeah, that's my rival," Jake told the Gym Leader, while also noting that Max had a Gligar. So _that _must have been the Pokémon that Max had before arriving at Kanto.

"Rivals, huh?" Brock mused, "I'm expecting a great battle then."

"So you should be," Jake smiled.

"Can I ask how many Pokémon you have?" Brock inquired, "I'm asking because I'll use the same number, if that's okay with you…"

"Two," Jake answered, "And two VS two is fine with me."

"Alright, how about we get this started," Brock said, "Hey, William!"

He gestured, and William came over, carrying a small flag. Jake guessed that he would be the referee of the match.

Jake noticed that some of the younger Trainers who were training under Brock had stopped battling and were now eagerly watching and waiting for the battle to begin, some with open notebooks to take notes on Brock's battle style, it seemed.

"The battle between Brock, Leader of Pewter Gym, and Jake from Viridian City, is about to begin!" William yelled, "Each Trainer will be allowed to use two Pokémon, and will be able to switch in at any time!"

Jake tried to retain his composure. Excitement, fear and adrenaline were all rushing through him at once. He gripped Tank's Poké Ball tightly.

"Begin!" William called.

"Go, Tank!" Jake threw his Poké Ball and out came his starter Pokémon, looking as determined as its Trainer felt.

"Rhyhorn, let's go!" Brock threw a Great Ball and a fairly large rhinoceros Pokémon with a body that looked rocky emerged, with a round of applause from many of Brock's students.

"Rhyhorn!" One of them said, amazed.

"He barely ever brings that one out!"

"This is gonna be an awesome match!"

Jake had expected Brock to throw out a Geodude, but he supposed that Rhyhorn was out because Brock had used a Geodude in his last match against Max.

"Tackle, Rhyhorn!" Brock commanded, and the large quadruped began to charge at Tank.

"Tank, jump up when it's about to hit you!" Jake had an idea.

Rhyhorn came lumbering towards Tank, and the nimble little turtle jumped high into the air.

"Now, Rapid Spin!"

Tank retreated into its shell and began to spin around, water gushing around, and some of it hitting Rhyhorn, causing the rhino to roar out in pain and start to retreat back and await a new command.

"Nice one, Tank!" Jake complimented his Pokémon, "Now, give it a Water Gun!"

Tank complied, shooting another gush of water at Rhyhorn, who tried to dodge but its large armoured body was too slow.

"Rhy!"

"Rhyhorn…" Brock muttered, "That Squirtle has excellent water control. You've clearly been training it well, Jake."

"Th-Thanks," Jake smiled at the compliment. He'd not expected to receive compliments from a Gym Leader this early.

"But just having the type advantage doesn't mean anything. Rhyhorn, Horn Attack!"

"RHY!"

Rhyhorn's horn began to glow and he charged again at Tank, much faster this time.

"Withdraw!"

Tank did so just in the nick of time, and its hardened shell stopped Rhyhorn dead in its tracks. Tank emerged from its shell and slammed into Rhyhorn with a Tackle attack on command from Jake, and Rhyhorn, already damaged badly from the earlier water attacks, was sent knocked back to Brock's corner of the battlefield.

"Rhyhorn is unable to battle! Brock now has one Pokémon remaining, while Jake has two!"

"Rhyhorn!" Brock shouted disbelievingly, then, regaining his composure, said, "You did great out there, old buddy. Get some rest!"

Rhyhorn returned to its Poké Ball, and Brock addressed Jake again. "I didn't expect you to take down one of the Pewter Gym's finest with such skill and ease, Jake. You're not like most rookies."

"Thanks, Brock. But it's not over yet…"

"You're right, and I'm not about to make it easy for you. Onix, let's go!"

He threw a regular Poké Ball that looked very old, and out came a giant rock snake Pokémon that Tank seemed intimidated by, as the tiny turtle Pokémon took a few steps back when it was released from its ball.

"An Onix…"

"Yup," Brock smiled, "This is my main Pokémon. We've been together for a long time!"

"Zzzzt! That's one big rock zzzznake!" the Rotom-Dex exclaimed, "What's the plan to beat thizzzz one, chief?"

"Hmmm… I think Tank's my only option. Mags is weak against Rock… Tank, are you good to stay in?"

Tank's fear dissolved immediately as he realised his Trainer needed him. He nodded fervently.

"Good,"

"The battle will now resume!" William called out.

"Onix, Slam!"

"Tank, get out of the-"

It was too late. The rock snake had swung its massive tail and slammed it into Tank, who was sent reeling back, but to his merit, remained standing.

"Woah!" Brock said, "Your Squirtle didn't even fall!"

"Tank's got guts, don't you, buddy?" Jake grinned, "Now, use Water Gun!"

"Onix, use Wrap!"

Tank shot out another blast of water from its mouth as it had before, but Onix didn't seem too fazed by this for too long, and proceeded to coil itself around Tank and trap it in a Wrap attack. Tank was taking gradual damage, but fighting hard to wriggle its way out.

"Come on, Tank, you can do it!"

Tank struggled desperately, and amidst a chorus of roars from Onix and attacks by Tank, the little Squirtle emerged free, panting and gasping.

"That was lucky," Jake said, knowing now what he had to do. When he saw the Wrap attack and realised that Onix was keen on physical moves, he'd worked out a strategy.  
"Tank, come back!"

"What…?" Brock looked confused, "What's your game?"

Jake grinned, "You'll see. Go, Mags!"

He threw his second Pokémon, and Magby emerged. The little duck Pokémon had the same reaction Tank had to Onix, but also regained her composure quickly, ready to do what had to be done so that the team would earn a Boulder Badge.

"Pretty desperate move, don't you think?" Brock said, "Sending out a Pokémon that's weak to Rock just to stall out some time for your Squirtle to rest."

"Oh, that's not all Mags is here for," Jake gave a sly grin, "You'll regret underestimating her! Mags, Tackle!"

"Don't bother- I don't want you to ruin this battle by just making desperate moves," Brock smiled, "Onix, Wrap!"

Onix trapped Magby in its tail, but alongside Magby's cries of pain, Onix roared out in agony too.

"Onix- What's wrong?!"

Jake grinned, "I think Onix might be feeling a little _burnt out_!"

Brock's Gym Trainers had caught on to Jake's strategy.

"That's _clever_!"

"The Flame Body ability!"

"Argh!" Brock gasped, "That's _right_!"

Onix was in too much pain from the burn caused by Magby's special ability that it had to release Mags from wrap. The little Pokémon jumped out of the trap happily, knowing its job had been done perfectly.

"Great job, Mags!" Jake grinned, "Come on back, now. Tank, let's finish this off!"

The boy recalled Mags and sent Tank back out, Onix still taking gradual damage and moving sluggishly.

"One Slam should do it, Onix! We can still win, let's go!"

"Tank, Water Gun!"

Onix's Slam connected, and Jake knew that it probably would've lost Tanks the battle if Onix hadn't been burnt before. When Tank got back up from being knocked down by the attack, it unleashed an extra powerful Water Gun attack, a massive blast of water blasting Onix back across the arena and causing it to faint.

Jake was panting, feeling like he had been the one doing the fighting but also knowing that his Pokémon had done the real work. He sent Mags back out and scooped both his Pokémon up into his arms for a victory hug.

"Squir, Squirtle!"

"Magby!"

"You did amazing, guys! We did it!"

"The winner is Jake, with both of his Pokémon still standing, no less!"

"He did it…"

"He beat Brock!"

"That was an even better fight than that last kid's…"

Brock, after returning his Onix to its Ball, walked over to Jake, a beaming smile on his face.

"That was… Probably one of my best Gym Battles in a long time. You and that rival of yours are two of a kind, both great Trainers with natural talent."

"You didn't make it easy, though. If I hadn't lucked out with Flame Body…"

"No, it wasn't just that. You beat Rhyhorn too by exposing my lack of real speed and my reliance on physical strength… I commend that."

He held his hand out with a gleaming octagonal Boulder Badge in it for Jake to take. The boy, hand shaking with adrenaline still, took it and held it up for all to see.

"Great job, guys," Jake grinned down at his two Pokémon. They hadn't been together for a very long time, but already Jake knew that he had been very lucky to meet these two.

"Your next stop is Cerulean, then?" Brock asked, "Misty's the Gym Leader there. I'll have to warn her about you!"

Jake laughed, "No worries, I'll just come up with some new strategies!"

"I can see you going all the way, Jake, seriously," Brock smiled, "You turned a Pokémon weak against mine into your greatest strength."

"Aw it was nothing!" Jake joked, "Anyway, Brock, I'll hopefully see you around."

"I'm sure you will," Brock said, "I hope we get a rematch sometime!"

"I hope so too!" Jake grinned as he left victorious with Mags and Tank by his side…

* * *

**A/N: So, there you have it. Our first Gym Battle is done! I really hope you enjoyed it, and please do leave feedback as well as team suggestions (I'm a few chapters ahead but will try to implement them in some way). Have a great day and thanks for all the support once more!**


	5. Chapter 5: Team Masquerade at Mt Moon

**CHAPTER 5: TEAM MASQUERADE AT MT. MOON**

_Jake's Team: Tank (Squirtle), Mags (Magby)_

His new shiny Boulder Badge pinned to his jacket, Jake began heading out of Pewter City in the direction of Mount Moon. All he had to do was cross this mountain and then he'd be at the site of his next Gym Battle, which was a thought that scared him as well as exciting him.

"I'm thinking we really need a Grass Type partner…" Jake grumbled to himself, knowing that Misty was a Water Pokémon enthusiast. His aptitude with Grass Types and the type advantage would definitely gain him a Cascade Badge, he thought, but thus far he hadn't met any Grass Pokémon that really appealed to him…

"Jake!" A voice called out.

When Jake turned he saw an unlikely duo before his eyes- Brock, the Gym Leader he'd just defeated, and Kieran, the Bug Catcher he'd been travelling with for a while from Viridian Forest to Pewter City.

"Hey, Kieran! How was the museu…" Jake began but trailed off when he saw the serious, worried expressions on both of his friends' faces, "What's wrong?"

"Stolen!" Brock said angrily, "My Rhyhorn was stolen…"

"My Beedrill too…" Kieran said, looking upset, "It was the first Pokémon I caught when I moved here to Kanto…"

Jake couldn't believe what he was hearing. Someone had managed to steal a Gym Leader's Pokémon?"

"Do you know who stole them?"

"No, they were wearing a weird mask…" Kieran said.

"Mask?" Jake gasped, "That's weird. Kieran, you know this, but when I met Mags, she was wearing a mask that was controlling her and made her set the forest on fire…"

"I knew it!" Kieran said, "I knew I'd seen that type of mask somewhere before this!"

"Calm down, Kieran," Brock said, "Think rationally. We need to stay calm if we want our Pokémon back. If these people have already been causing mayhem in the Viridian Forest area, then they probably wouldn't go back to the scene of the crime, so…"

Jake pointed over at the cave entrance ahead of them, "Mt. Moon it is, then…"

"Gligar, Poison Sting! Damn Zubats…"

"Hey!"

Jake, Kieran and Brock had only just entered the cavernous, rocky, Pokémon-filled Mt. Moon when Jake caught sight of Max battling alongside a purple flying scorpion Pokémon that Jake recognised as Gligar.

Max turned and gave Jake a nod of recognition, registering that he now had a badge on his jacket, the same Boulder Badge Max had himself.

"So it's true, Max… Gligar is your second Pokémon."

"Yeah, it was my first, I've lived with it since I was a kid. Anyway, I'll just be going..."

"Hey, we could use your help!" Kieran called to Max as he and his Gligar turned again to progress further into the cave after sending the Zubat that had attacked them to the ground.

"Why should I help you? I don't even know you…"

"Yeah, but you know _me_," Jake said.

"And me," Brock added, "Come on, tough guy, help us out?"

Max sighed and threw his arms up in defeat. "Fine. What's up?"

"We're looking for my Rhyhorn and Kieran here's Beedrill."

"I haven't seen a Rhyhorn, but I have seen a Rhy_don_ and a Beedrill."

"Really?" Brock gasped, "Rhyhorn must have evolved fighting against its kidnappers!"

"They were wearing weird headpieces though, sort of like masks, and… They were fighting every Pokémon that got in their way."

The group fell silent.

"I'd be happy that your Rhyhorn evolved, Brock, but… That means we're gonna have even more of a job trying to get it back!"

"You're right…" Brock looked apprehensive.

"What direction did they go in?" Kieran asked Max.

"Down the ladder to the left," Max pointed, "Let's go!"

And so the four set off deeper into the cave…

"Keep going, Rhydon and Beedrill! Destroy everything in your way!"

The masked Rhydon and Beedrill mindlessly obeyed their new master, a man who was also masked to hide his identity, but had a mop of curly red hair not hidden by the mask. He wore an all-black uniform of a jacket, shirt, trousers and boots, with a pin on his jacket that showed his rank within his organisation. Around him, several underlings commanded weaker Pokémon that the group had taken control of, and were searching the caves of Mt Moon for something.

"What do you people want with Mt Moon, and my Rhydon?!" An angry voice made the man in charge turn around, and he grinned at the motley crew of idiots he now saw in front of him.

"Ah, what have we here?" He said, "A Gym Leader and three brats! A league of heroes if I ever saw one!"

"Who are you?!" Max demanded, "What organisation are you masked freaks with!"

The man chuckled in his posh accent, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Tell us!" Jake roared, "And give my friends back their Pokémon!"

"I will," the man said, "If you beat me in battle! Rhydon, Beedrill, show your old masters your true potential!"

"Go, Mags!" Jake released his Magby from its Ball.

"Geodude!" Brock called out a rock with arms and an angry expression from a Poké Ball, too.

"Paras!" Kieran summoned out his little mushroom Pokémon.

"Let's go," Max said, "Gligar, Quick Attack!"

Gligar flew straight at Beedrill and send it flying backwards.

"Rhydon, Earthquake!"

Rhydon stomped a single one of its powerful, heavy feet and the ground shook, knocking Kieran's Paras onto its back and nearly doing the same to Mags.

"Earthquake?!" Brock couldn't believe it, "It didn't used to know Earthquake…"

"That thing's getting too powerful too fast," Max said, "And I think I know why. Someone attack it and give me an opening, quick, before things get far worse!"

"You've caught on, eh?" The mystery man laughed, "Too late!"

"Paras, Energy Ball!"

Kieran's Paras launched a green ball of solar energy from its claws, blasting Rhydon and sending it reeling back for a brief moment, which was Max's chance to strike-

"Gligar, Knock Off!"

With speed like no Pokémon Jake had seen firsthand so far, Gligar swooped in, pushed Rhydon over and also snatched something Rhydon had been holding and tossing it over to Max.

"As I thought," Max said, "A Protector. You're trying to make this Rhydon evolve a second time so quickly after the first? Don't you know that can _hurt _the Pokémon?!"

"Who cares?" One of the grunts who was fending off wild Pokémon chimed in.

"Exactly," The leader said, "Pain is never permanent, but the results are. These masks do the very same thing- Magnify a Pokémon's strength by causing extreme-"

"I'VE HEARD ENOUGH!" Max roared, "I'm getting these damn masks off those Pokémon NOW! Gligar, Fury Cutter!"

Gligar zoomed back over to Rhydon and cut its mask clean in half. The Pokémon was stunned for a moment- It looked at itself confusedly.

"It doesn't remember evolving…" Jake realised.

"Rhydon, buddy, come here!" Brock called, and the Pokémon came over to its Trainer slowly. The masked man snorted incredulously.

"No matter. Beedrill, Fury Attack!"

"Mags, use Ember and aim at the mask!"

Mags spat a small flame from her mouth and it hit Beedrill's mask, breaking it. Beedrill came to its senses and flew back to Kieran.

"I'll never let this happen again, buddy," Kieran hugged the poisonous bee, avoiding its drill hands.

"Grunts, don't just stand there, I'm out of controlled Pokémon!" the leader shouted.

"Ha, what a wimp!" Jake mocked.

The grunts then turned their attention from the wild Pokémon to their group, and it became a sudden rush of wild Pokémon, controlled Pokémon, and Jake and friends' Pokémon.

"Meowth!"

"Ekans!"

"Psyduck!"

"Geodude, Rock Throw!"

"Mags, Ember!"

"Gligar, Knock Off!"

"Beedrill, Poison Sting!"

Masks were broken, Trainers cursed, and a cacophony of Pokémon cries echoed through the caves.

"W… We did it!"

The masked Pokémon were freed and the enemies were out of Pokémon.

Their leader was seething.

"You brats! You'll live to regret the day you messed with Dean of Team Masquerade!"

"Ah, so that's their name…"

"Not very good at the secret keeping thing, are you?" Max said snidely.

"I'm turning you all in to the Pewter Police Department!" Brock said.

"Oh, no you're not, Gym Leader," the Team Masquerade higher-up Dean said icily, holding a Great Ball up, "You really thought I don't have Pokémon of my own? Weezing, Smokescreen!"

Jake barely saw Dean's purple Pokémon being released from its Ball before the room filled with smoke and everyone began coughing vigorously except the Team Masquerade members.

"See you around, punks!"

"Damn it! Gligar- ACK!"

"I won't let you- GACK!"

The smoke cleared after about a minute and a half, and try as they might, the group hadn't succeeded in keeping the villains there.

"They got away, and we don't know where to…" Jake fell to his knees, "How are we gonna stop them taking other people's Pokémon now?!"

He couldn't believe that, in this day and age, there were still people like this. The fire in Viridian Forest had been one thing, but seeing the perpetrators in person was a whole different ball game.

"Jake…" Brock said, "It's okay, we tried. I'll report this to the police and the other Gym Leaders…"

"If I _ever _see them again," Jake said, "I'll crush them! For Mags' sake, and for the sake of all of our Pokémon!"

"Big talk," Max said, "Anyway, this was fun, but I'm gonna bounce. Guess this wasn't a total waste of time, since I got some training in-"

"Max, how could you be so aloof?!" Jake screamed, shocking Kieran and Brock looking at him with concern.

"Because, dummy, we trounced them," Max gave him a smile, "Besides, look- Your Magby seems to be helping Rhydon."

It was true. On the sidelines, Mags was talking to Rhydon and Beedrill.

"Mags knows what it was like to be under their control, Jake," Kieran said.

"Yeah," Brock said, "She's probably explaining how it'll all get back to normal now…"

Jake smiled, "You guys are right, I'm sorry for making a scene. Hey, Max-"

Max and Gligar were gone.

"That's one seriously enigmatic dude," Kieran said.

"Ah, he's not so tough. He acts edgy but he really cares, you heard him getting as mad at those guys as I was!" Jake laughed.

"I wish I could've thanked him… It was genius of him to use Knock Off to get that Protector away from Rhydon. Speaking of…" Brock picked up the Protector, that Max had seemingly purposely left behind for him, "I may as well keep this, for when Rhydon's seriously ready for it!"

"Sounds good!" Jake said, "Hey, Rhydon, I look forward to our rematch one day when you're evolved again!"

"Rhy!" Rhydon grinned at Jake as if to agree. Mags ran back to her Trainer, as did Rhydon and Beedrill.

"You did great today, Mags," Jake said, "You're one brave Pokémon, and I'm lucky I found you that day!"

Mags jumped up and down in happiness at the praise from her Trainer.

"The exit's that way," Brock pointed down a tunnel, "That's enough excitement for me for one day. Back to the Gym for me, to start training…"

"Next stop Cerulean City for me," Jake smiled, "I'll need to get some training in along the way or Misty will crush me!"

"Zzzzt! You're right!" The Rotom Dex chose this moment to jump into the conversation, "Jakey, Misty'zzz 'monzzzzz will put out Magzzzz' flamezzz in a zzzecond!"

"You aren't supposed to _agree_, Rotom!" Jake said, and burst into laughter with his friends.

"I'm rooting for you, Jake," Brock said, "I'll look into Team Masquerade, as well."

"Yeah… Those guys seem shady, I hope they get caught fast. Hey Kieran, what's your plan?"

"Well… I was wondering if…"

"Yeah? Come on, man, say it!" Jake grinned at his friend.

"Can we travel together for a bit longer?" Kieran said, "I'm just kind of a wandering Trainer, I don't do Gyms, I just want to see the sights and admire all the Bug Type Pokémon I find!"

Jake laughed, "I was hoping you'd ask that. Sure, man, let's go! You'll be good to have around in case we run into any of those thugs again!"

"Don't say that, you'll jinx it!"

"Hahahah! See ya, Brock!"

"See you guys later! Keep in touch!" Brock called as he turned back the way they'd come, and Jake and Kieran set off down the tunnel that would lead out towards Cerulean City, and Jake's next Gym Battle…

**A/N: Our evil team is introduced and Jake gets his first travelling companion in this chapter. I hope you're all enjoying the series and remember to leave some feedback if you did! Thanks to everyone reviewing so far, and everyone who's requested Pokémon for Jake or any other character's team I plan to implement them at some stage throughout the journey be it Kanto Arc or later.**


	6. Chapter 6: Jake VS Misty

**CHAPTER 6: JAKE VS MISTY**

_Jake's Team: Tank (Squirtle), Mags (Magby)_

_Kieran's Team: Beedrill, Paras, ?, ?_

Cerulean City- A beautiful city full of water, pretty girls, powerful Pokémon Trainers, a beautiful date spot in Cerulean Cape, and the place of Jake's next Gym Battle. Before getting to the Gym, though, little did Jake or Kieran know that they'd be having their first disagreement as travelling companions…

"Y'know, Jake…"

"Yeah?" Jake turned to Kieran, who had a concerned look on his face despite the serenity and beauty of the place they had just arrived at.

"Rotom was right earlier: Misty's Pokémon would crush Mags. That means all you'd have is Tank… Tank against Misty's whole team, and he's a water type. Misty's a Water type _master_, so…"

"So?"

"Her Pokémon will be much faster in the water than a Squirtle…"

Jake stopped in his tracks and looked at Kieran.

"You're saying I can't win?"

"I'm saying it's not _likely _with the team you have. That's why I'm making you an offer. Why don't you take Paras? It's a Grass Type, and…"

"Listen, Kieran," Jake tried to keep his cool with his new friend and travelling companion, "If I was a Gym Leader, I would be an expert on Grass Types- I grew up beside a forest, and, well… Paras is _also _a Bug Type, which is, like, my least favourite type! Plus, Paras is _your _Pokémon…"

"You don't like Bug Types?!" Kieran looked as if Jake had just said he didn't like _him_."

"Well… Not really. I mean, they're weak, they stink, they're annoying, there's so many of them…"

Kieran took out a notebook and hastily flipped the pages. He shoved pages about Pinsir, Scyther, Yanmega, Heracross and all kinds of other strong Bug Type Pokémon into Jake's face…

"Pinsir, Scizor and Heracross can all even _Mega Evolve_…"

"Yeah, but Mega Stones are really rare, and plus there's way better Mega Pokémon. I mean, you've got Venusaur, you've got Sceptile, you've got Abomasnow…"

"Bug Types are _amazing_, Jake!" Kieran was mad now, Jake could tell, "You claim you love Pokémon yet you think Bug Types are weak and annoying, and dismiss it when a Bug Type is trying to get you to let it help you out!?"

"I _do _love Pokémon!" Jake snapped, "Plus, it's _you _who's giving me help that I don't need, not Paras!"

"Paras, come out!"

Paras was thrown from its Poké Ball, and the first thing it did was turn to Jake and look at him affectionately.

"It _wants _to help, Jake! It likes you more than it likes me, not that you would have noticed that considering you ignore how great Bug Types are! I have four Pokémon including Paras, and Paras just doesn't seem like it can bring out its full potential on my team, so…"

Jake thought about it. On the way to Cerulean City, and even on the way to Pewter after it had seen how he had stopped the fire in Viridian Forest, Kieran's Paras had always shown an interest in him and his Pokémon. Jake hadn't thought much of this, but maybe this was because Paras had pictured itself as part of Jake's team.

"Sorry, Paras, looks like you're not good enough for Jake!"

Paras looked stunned and Jake knew he could see tears forming before the little mushroom Pokémon turned back to its current Trainer.

"There, there, Paras… It'll be okay…"

"Look," Jake said, "It's nothing personal towards _this _Paras…"

"Whatever," Kieran said, "Have fun getting tossed around by Misty…"

Jake was seriously annoyed. He and Kieran had only been properly travelling together for less than a day, and already he'd done something to mess it up. It was all because of his _stupid _past and his subsequent- he hated using this word- _fear _of Bug Types…

He thought back to the day this had all started...

_Jake had been about six years old, nothing more than a silly, dumb kid who thought the world revolved around him. He was outside in his and his mother's back garden, watering the plants as he did every day, with Bianca the Ivysaur and Rebecca the Roserade, his mother's Pokémon. He had small gardening gloves on, and he was never more happy than when he was out here doing this exact thing._

_"__What the-?!"_

_The younger Jake immediately started crying when he saw that a very special, exotic plant from another region, his mom's prized plant, was being eaten by Caterpie._

_He and the Grass Pokémon scared those Caterpie away, but that wasn't enough for them. Feeling awful that this had happened to his mom's plant under his care, Jake decided that the only way to make things right was to go to Viridian Forest and battle those Bug Types as revenge. Looking back now, Jake knew this was cruel, and selfish, and something was bound to have went wrong because he didn't know the first thing about battling at the time (he had wanted to be a gardener), but he still did it._

_And so, Rebecca and Bianca alongside him, Jake stormed into Viridian Forest with the fury of a Fearow, and began attacking random wild bugs whenever he saw them._

_"__Yah! Yah! Vine Whip! Petal Dance!"_

_Of course, Rebecca and Bianca didn't listen to them because they were high level Pokémon and he was a six year old boy. They loafed around and only attacked in retaliation when they themselves were attacked by their foes, not following any of Jake's orders. Jake didn't realise this, though, until it was too late._

_Seeing the smaller, weaker, unevolved bugs of the forest being picked on, a Pinsir grew angry and advanced on Jake. Jake was terrified, and let out a scream before trying to pull himself together at the sight of the ugly, sharp-horned stag beetle Pokémon._

_"__B-Bianca, Rebecca, attack!" He said, barely able to see as tears welled up and obscured his vision._

_The Ivysaur and Roserade simply ignored their young Trainer. The most they associated with him was when they gardened together and supervised his usually harmless excursions into the Forest, but they weren't about to protect him from a powerful enemy like that Pinsir who could surely harm them…_

_…__Luckily, there was a Pokémon who _did _help. Just before the Pinsir bore down on Jake, it was lifted with vines by its small arms and tossed away back into the undergrowth. Jake now saw only his mother's two Pokémon and his saviour, a mighty and wise-looking old Venusaur._

_"__The Master of the Forest!" His childish mind made that title of reverence up on the spot for the Venusaur, "Th-Thank you!"_

_Still crying, he was led off by Bianca and Rebecca, with one last look at the large creature with a large flowering plant on its back, who had so easily stopped that fearsome Pinsir…_

"Zzzzttt! Soundzzz like a legitimate enough reazzzzon, but… Zzzzometimezzzz we have to zzztop letting our fearzzz hold uzzz back!"

"Y-Yeah, maybe…"

Jake had been recounting that story to Rotom, and knew that the Pokémon inside his Dex was right, but didn't want to accept it because that event, no matter how long ago it was, still had an effect on him.

_If Kieran knew that, _Jake thought to himself, _He wouldn't have gotten so mad when I refused to let a Bug Type on my Team! Too bad I'm too proud to tell him about that… Who cares? I'll beat Misty and show him!_

He'd been letting off some steam by facing Trainers on Nugget Bridge, earning himself a Big Nugget which he used to buy some Potions and things for his Pokémon. Now, evening was soon to fall, which meant he was running out of time to prove Kieran wrong and win at the Gym. He rushed towards the Gym, and when he was about to enter, a girl and an Ivysaur were coming out.

"Hi!" She grinned at him and he was immediately enamoured. She had lustrous blonde hair under a white hat, a green top and a white skirt, "Good fashion sense!" she joked, as they were both dressed in green and white.

"Th-Thanks," Jake didn't know what to say other than that as his heart was going extremely fast. He decided to move on quickly, "Nice Ivysaur! I love Grass Types!"

It was true, her Ivysaur was an amazing Pokémon. It gave off a powerful yet gentle vibe, just like the Venusaur that Jake had just been reminiscing about.

"Thanks! Ivy here was my first Pokémon! Are you heading to take on Misty?"

"Y-Yeah!" Jake said hurriedly, "Speaking of which, I better hurry!"

The girl smiled. Why was she so pretty? Jake felt like he could get lost in those blue eyes.

"Yeah, you better. Good luck from both me _and _Ivy!"

"Saur!" Ivy agreed, then bounded after her Trainer as she went to leave with one last smile and giggle back over her shoulder at Jake, who in his complete awe of her accidentally pulled the door to the Gym, which was labelled "push". This just wasn't his day…

"Hey!" Jake called, trying to imbue himself with confidence. That really nice girl had wished him good luck, and that was more than what he needed to beat Misty.

Misty, the Gym Leader, was a redhead in a swimsuit, and right now she looked pretty ticked off.

"Seriously? Couldn't you just wait 'til tomorrow? It's nearly closing time, everyone's gone, even the ref… That last girl already annoyed me with how strong she was, can't I catch a break?"

_What a motormouth_, Jake thought. "S-Sorry," he apologised sheepishly, then tried to sound confident, "But this will barely take five minutes."

"Oh, is that so?" Misty said, a slight twinkle in her eyes, "What's your name, challenger?"

"Jake Masterson of Viridian City," Jake said, "Remember it, 'cos I'm gonna be this year's Indigo League Champion!"

"Big talk," Misty said, "You're Brock's friend, right?"

"Yeah, he mentioned me?" Jake asked.

"Yeah, singing his praises, said you're a hard worker and have natural talent. I'm willing to stay and work overtime for you, so I expect a great battle!"

"You'll get one, Misty, I promise!"

The battlefield took a few minutes to be set up again after being messed up from the last battle. It consisted of a swimming pool with a number of platforms for land Pokémon to stand on and jump from platform to platform.

"We have no referee, so there won't be any fancy calling to start the match," Misty said, "Is two Pokémon each and no switch-ins okay?"

"Sounds good," Jake said, "Mags, go!"

"Starmie!"

Both Trainers released their Pokémon and commenced the battle. Mags was Jake's opener because he knew she wouldn't be much help, but could probably do a good job at whittling the foe down. That was before he saw Misty's Starmie.

It was a double-layered star Pokémon with a red gem in its centre, and it moved even faster than Max's Gligar.

"You only have two Pokémon, I assume?" Misty asked.

"Y-Yeah," Jake said.

"Explains why you brought a Fire Type. Honestly, I suggest filling out your team a bit before challenging any more Gyms, or you won't make Champion, just some advice. Anyway… Starmie, Hydro Pump!"

"Kyaaaa!" Starmie zipped around the arena, and Mags feebly jumped from platform to platform, trying to keep sight of her opponent to see where it would attack from and try to avoid it. However, Starmie was just too fast, and caught Mags off guard by- teleporting?- behind her and blasting her with a mighty blast of water, much more powerful than even Tank's attacks. Mags screamed out and was blasted into the air and went flying back onto the platform she had been sent out onto. The platform went underwater with the force of the landing, but shot back up with Mags lying fainted on it.

"M-Mags…" Jake said dejectedly.

"Told you it was a bad idea," Misty said, "You're not at all like how Brock said… Hope your next Pokémon isn't a Rock Type!"

Jake returned Mags to her Ball, silently cursing himself. Things were falling apart pretty quickly, and now Tank had to take on two undamaged Pokémon by himself. Kieran and Rotom were right…

"Tank, let's go!" He threw his second Poké Ball and Tank emerged, looking determined to win the match.

"The famous Tank," Misty said, "Brock spoke highly of its Water prowess, and it looks well trained. However, it's the Trainer's performance on the actual day of the battle that counts, and it seems like you won your last Gym match by dumb luck to me!"

"Gah… That's not true!"

"Starmie, Rapid Spin!"

"Tank, Rapid Spin as well!"

Both Pokémon went spinning into the air and clashed with each other numerous times, trying to knock each other down onto one of the platforms. Tank had a very tough shell, so seemed to be a good match for Starmie, but the other Pokémon was so _fast_...

"Tank, one big push!"

"Squirt Squirtle!"

Tank had done it! The little Pokémon had slammed Misty's Starmie down onto one of the platforms and the gem in its centre was starting to flash on and off a little, which Jake knew suggested that it had taken a lot of damage from Tank's strikes. He could do this!

"Now, Tank, Skull Bash!"

"Psychic!"

Starmie's gem stopped flashing off and just glowed continually again now, and Tank was enveloped with a purple glow mid-attack, and sent backwards by some kind of psychic force.

"That Starmie… It's a Psychic Type… Amazing…" Jake couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was surreal that Psychic Types were powerful enough to stop another Pokémon right in its tracks and stop them from moving.

"Release it, Starmie."

Starmie sent Tank flying into the wall and the tiny turtle let out an anguished scream of sorrow and pain before fainting.

Jake was speechless. It was over- As quick as that.

"You were right about this barely taking five minutes," Misty said, "Sorry, Jake. You lose."

Jake remained silent for a minute. "Listen, I-"

"Don't try and make excuses, I know," Misty said, "Sometimes it's just not your day. I knew it when you walked in here. Something's on your mind. I recommend you come back in a couple days, maybe catch another Pokémon or two, and definitely try and fix whatever's going on. I hope you can do it, Jake, because I do see the potential of everything Brock said you have."

"Th-Thanks, Misty," Jake said ashamedly, "Tank, return. I gotta get these guys to a Pokémon Centre."

Misty watched sadly and worriedly as the young Trainer, still looking like he'd been hit by a ton of bricks, exited her gym and sprinted off towards the Pokémon Centre…

**A/N: This is a big character development chapter for Jake. I hope you all enjoyed it and please leave any feedback as always.**


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